With over $9 billion in donations and over 120 million individual donations from the community, GoFundMe is now the largest social fundraising platform in the world. A GoFundMe page can raise funds ranging anywhere from $1500 up to $14.3 million, the top campaign ever being the Official George Floyd Memorial Fund.
The most important information to factor in, however, is how to advertise GoFundMe to people.
There is nothing worse than pouring your heart and soul into a GoFundMe page, thinking everyone will want to donate, then having nothing but tumbleweeds pass you by.
There are many factors to keep in consideration when you launch your GoFundMe page. If done correctly, the difference of attention is relative to an empty ghost town compared to the hustle and bustle of New York City.
So how DO you create a successful GoFundMe page that reaches your desired fundraising goals? There is so much misinformation out there, its hard to know where to start.
Have no fear, we have created the ultimate guide for you to achieve the successful GoFundMe page you were hoping for.
Read on…
1. Start With a Catchy Title
A title is your first impression, make it catchy by drawing in emotion from your readers. Pulling at their heartstrings is the best way to turn them from a reader into a donor.
Your title is the first step to get your GoFundMe noticed.
2. You Need a Captivating Story
A captivating story is clear on your intentions, telling your audience exactly what you are fundraising for.
It should be engaging to read, and of course, pull at the heartstrings to convert anyone into a donator. A good story should include:
- An introduction, what or who it is for, creating a personal connection with the readers.
- A rundown of events, what happened. Be detailed on costs etc, people want to know where their money is going.
- Why you are doing it, what it means to you, personally. This makes it more realistic and relatable.
- Say your ‘thank you’s’, showing gratitude will entice the donors with your appreciation.
- An explanation on how to share the GoFundMe page, this is an excellent way to gain more awareness. People will share something close to their heart.
As you can see, this covers the typical five “W’s” (who, what, where, when, why) but in a more detailed and personable way. Not only is the your story important, but the best GoFundMe campaigns include videos to get their story told.
3. Keep Them In the Loop
Constant updating of your situation will help keep the campaign alive. When you notify everyone, it will make the page re-surface each time, enabling you to get more exposure.
Regular updates also show donors how passionate and dedicated to this cause you are. People love passionate people, they are magnetizing. Even when things are not going well, continue to update to draw people in.
4. Social Media Is Your Best Friend
First off, you need a hashtag, every trending story online right now has a good hashtag. This makes it ridiculously easy for anyone to find your GoFundMe page through social media.
Biggest Social media platform to share on is Facebook, make a page and encourage all of your friends to share the heck out of it. This creates an online community where people can share memories or videos/pictures of whatever your cause is about. You can then share this page with local business’s pages or local communities, get creative!
Share it on LinkedIn, this notifies all business owners that there is a possible cause to support, which is great for their business’s reputation.
For Instagram, take a screenshot of your GoFundMe page on your smartphone, then create a post about it with all the contact information and all applicable hashtags.
You can also create pins on Pinterest, which can always boost more awareness.
And don't forget Youtube for sharing GoFundMe campaign video as your fundraiser progresses.
5. Make It Public
We now know about the advantages of social media, but have you ever considered asking people in person? Asking someone for something face to face ask is 34 times more effective than if you were to ask online. Asking six people in person is more successful than asking 200 people in an email list.
Go to your local media stations, news reporters love a good captivating story that will engage more audience for them too. This includes radio stations and all the newspapers.
6. Campaign Offline
Team up with some popular local businesses as well, every business loves supporting a cause that looks good on them and there are endless options for this:
- Get a local nightclub to put some of the entrance proceeds towards your cause.
- Ask a local cafe to dedicate an item to your cause, where all sales of that item go to you.
- Ask a local gym to dedicate a boot camp class to your cause, then bring treats and protein bars to sell.
- Post pictures on telephone poles and upon local poster-board areas in cafe’s, Universities etc.
- Get a sports team to dedicate a game to your cause, or even have a half-time fundraiser for it.
- Silent auctions and 50/50 draws are always a great way to both spread awareness and raise a good amount of money
There are endless options when running your campaign in the community.
Everyone loves supporting a good cause, it boosts happy chemicals in the brain when you do a good deed, so make sure you take advantage of that natural advantage!
7. Make it Visually Appealing
For the visual aspect, add more photos and videos to your GoFundMe page, making sure these are pictures that will draw emotion and adds to your story.
Break up the sentences in your description to make it easier to read, as our every-day monkey minds are too “busy” to spend time reading a bunch of text.
For Grammatical benefits, make some of the font bold, underlined and italicized to emphasize on important parts.
8. Show Your Appreciation
Adding a video shoutout to big donors is a fantastic way to make them feel rewarded.
Showing your gratitude is a great way to generate more respect and build a good reputation.
Bottom line, people love feeling valued, if you make them feel like they are very important to you, they will get more involved.
Get Your GoFundMe Page Rocking Right Away
Use these 8 tips to spread awareness and avoid the challenges and mistakes when marketing your cause. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us!